It’s hard to imagine how the lives of gays looked back in the days. There was no way of publicly finding a partner back in the 80s, so gays had to talk in codes and be extra careful to whom are they talking. Today, things are looking much better for gays. The public looks at them with more compassion than before, and they can thank the movie industry for that. Cinematography showcases things people want to see and learn about, so no wonder there are TV series that deal with being gay.
How is Gay Dating Shown on TV Screens?
There aren’t many taboos today, so gay dating on TV screens is pretty mellow, considering revolutions made daily regarding sexuality and sexual orientation. There aren’t only TV series that deal with gays and their dating lives. Today various gay reality dating shows revolve around gays and their dating preferences. It’s fair to say that gays affect what we watch on TV.
With gays being more present on the screen, many men gained much-needed confidence to come out and find their soulmates. They can do that more freely than the guys in the past could. That’s the case because they’re more accepted as parts of society and because of dating sites. In fact, good sites made for a male seeking a male are the best way to meet and find potential partners. Privacy is everything on dating sites, so encrypted messages are more or less a rule. This feature ensures that only people in the conversation can read those messages. If a third party tries to read them, they’ll find them encrypted and unreadable. Video chat is another feature that helps people connect more easily. Some users prefer oral conversation over texting. Others just want to spice things up on camera.
How is the Real Dating Industry Supporting This Trend of Openness?
As you can see, the online dating industry is doing everything to make gays feel included. Things are a lot easier online because gays have a hugely supportive community. In the real world, things can get a little bit harder. The community exists in the outside world as well, but the real world consists of both supporters and, well, haters. Gays can date freely, but there are still places where being gay is looked down on. Sometimes it feels like they’ve been living in some horror movies. Luckily, those incidents are much rarer now than two decades ago.
5 TV Series Revealing Gay Dating
Here’s a list of TV series that describe gay dating in different periods. Buckle up, grab some popcorn and read on.
Pose
This American drama television series first aired in 2018. The series follows the story of the Ballroom culture scene (LGBTQ subculture in the African-American and Latino communities) from the 1980s to the 1990s. The first season was highly praised and earned numerous award nominations. In 2019 Billy Porter was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award and became the first openly gay black man to be nominated for and win an Emmy lead actor award. The show ended in 2021, after three seasons.
The plot reveals what difficulties people of a different orientation and skin color faced, and how they rallied together to support each other in the struggle for a place in the sun. Now, with all the technology and progress of online gay dating, young people might miss the fact that it was much more difficult to find a reliable partner if you are a man looking for a man. This story shed some light on some multifaceted gay issues.
It’s a Sin
It’s a Sin is a British drama miniseries that follows the lives of gays and their friends during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the UK (1981 to 1991). Critics praised the show for its emotional scenes and accurate description of that era. Channel 4 streamed the series; it was viewed almost 7 million times, thus becoming the most binge-watched show on the platform.
Even though the series only has 5 episodes, the show made an impact. It was so realistically done that it encouraged many male gays to get tested for HIV and become more responsible for their dating lives.
Sex Education
This is another British TV series gem that helped young people worldwide. It follows students, parents, and staff of the fictional high school.
The show is all about sex, sexual intimacy, and sexuality. The TV series aired back in 2019 and is still going strong with each new season. All characters are different, and of course, among them there are gay males seeking males not only for friendship, but also for the first romantic experience. The reason for the popularity of this show (over 40 million users streaming the first season) is that the stories are told by young people, and it’s easier to relate to them.
Young Royals
Young Royals is a Swedish teen drama series that follows the fictional Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, who falls in love with his fellow student Simon Eriksson. The first season had six episodes, and the show has been renewed for a second season which will be released later in the year. This series found its place on our list because of its elite school surroundings, where everything and everyone must be perfect. It’s hard enough to navigate through life as it is; people shouldn’t worry about others’ opinions.
Heartstopper
This is the only TV series on the list that’s based on the graphic novel Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. The series focuses primarily on Charlie, a gay student who falls in love with his classmate Nick. The show was released in April 2022 on Netflix and became the top ten English series on Netflix in only two days.
The critics loved the series, and producers and writers were praised for the representation of the LGBTQ community. Heartstopper also helped increase the popularity of graphic novels. The series has been renewed for additional 2 seasons.
So here’s how it goes. We have different people from different times and different backgrounds, united by a common goal – to find love, and having a common challenge – being gay. Some of them have mobile and dating apps, while others can only count on a hint in real life. We hope you learned something new from the article and that you found a new TV series to binge-watch.
